Of late, the BNF and its leader, Comrade Otsweletse Moupo, have been subjected to a barrage of criticism and unfounded attacks made by the expelled Elmon Tafa. This is the same man who sometimes calls himself Comrade Moore.
Tafa purports to be speaking on behalf of the so-called Temporary Platform. His outrageous allegations, lies and misconceptions have attracted my response as I perceive them to have a potential to create confusion among the BNF general membership.
There is also the risk that Tafa may mislead the public at large. Most of the BNF “wrangles” written in newspapers by Tafa are little more than overblown brouhaha.
Since the failed coup on Cde Moupo, Tafa seems to be a bitter man.
It is not the first time we hear of these kinds of hallucinations nor is it likely to be the last.
Basically, the intent of this article is to correct factual errors and distortions carried in various newspapers by Tafa who has been disgruntled after being thrashed at the Special Congress by a humiliating margin of 445.
One reason why Tafa is very bitter is because he has not realised his over ambitious dream of leading the BNF.
In his article to the Sunday Standard a few years ago titled “Homage to Cde Paul Rantao”, he said “to be honest Cde Rantao was the very first person ever to suggest to me that I could be the leader of the BNF well before I could entertain such dreams”.
It is alleged that the convocation of the Extra-Ordinary National Congress held last year in Molepolole was unconstitutional.
It is also alleged that the Central Committee is nullifying the results of primary elections results in Gaborone South and Lobatse.
It is further alleged that the Party was supposed to hold a Congress not a Conference this year.
It is being alleged that six (6) structures have called for Comrade Moupo to step down.
It is also alleged that the Party leadership is afraid to debate issues.
Lastly, it is being alleged that Comrade Lemogang Ntime and Murray Dipate are new arrivals and, as such, not fit to be in the National Disciplinary Committee as they have not reached a three (3) year probationary period, and it is being alleged that Cde Moupo is eyeing Gaborone South Constituency.
A point by point rebuttal of the allegations and distortions is imperative and as such the distorted facts will be discussed in the order listed above, but before responding to them it is worth noting that the expulsions of Nehemiah Modubule and Tafa were largely meant to restore order and discipline.
The duo had repeatedly flouted Party rules, behaved in a grossly disorderly way and organised factional groupings.
This is an offence according to the BNF Code of Discipline Clause 4.4 which states that formation of cliques, cabals or factions within the Party is prohibited.
Modubule and Tafa breached and violated the BNF Constitution which is totally against the discussion of party internal matters in the public domain. Article 5.1.4 of the BNF Constitution contends that a BNF member shall have the right to criticise any decision or official of the BNF, regardless of position or rank, such criticism shall be made to members of the BNF at a properly convened meeting of the members of the BNF.
Tafa has always had a predilection of castigating fellow party members in the media.
For instance, he has, in the past, attacked Cde Moupo, Cde Gaborone, Cde Molefhabangwe, Billy Makuku and Patrick Kgoadi who he described as having a poor grasp of party policies and having dubious credibility.
He has repeatedly called party members who stood in the primary elections against his preferred candidates puppets and cronies.
Tafa has hitherto failed to handover to the Secretary for Political Education! Are these traits of a disciplined revolutionary and progressive cadre he claims to be?
Modubule and Tafa also contravened the Party’s Code of Conduct Clause 4.14 which stipulates that dissemination of information on Party internal matters to the media by individuals without authority is an offence.
Modubule knows this very well as in 2006 when he was the Party Chairman he wrote letters to Cde Molefhabangwe and Cde Bashi Sengwaketse advising them to desist from discussing party internal matter in the media.
It has to be stated and accentuated unequivocally that Cde Moupo had the powers to call an extra-ordinary Congress last year following the generalised disunity and a lack of cohesion within the then leadership.
Article 19.3.1 of the BNF Constitution under the powers of the President clearly states that the president of the BNF shall take action in the interest of the Party pending convocation of any relevant body or organ of the party in cases of emergency.
Article 19.3.3 points out that the President of the BNF shall give instruction on any matter to any official of the BNF or empower any member of the BNF to exercise any powers or specific functions for and on behalf of the BNF or Central Committee. It is also important to note that the BNF Central Committee of 2005 (inclusive of Tafa) prepared and participated in the Congress which he now calls an “unconstitutional congress.”
It is a well known fact that after being rejected by the BNF delegates at the Special Congress, Modubule and Tafa waged a slanderous campaign to destabilize the party and decided to undermine the democratic decision of the majority.
After losing, the duo became very unprincipled and disloyal.
They literally dragged the name of the party they claimed to love in the mud, sabotaged party activities, including by-elections.
When the party lost, they blamed the party leadership.
Just recently they had a victory rally in Lobatse after the BNF lost Village ward.
They falsely and wrongly accused the party leadership of trying to marginalise and victimise the people who supported the Letshabo lobby group even though Cde Moupo, in his presidential speech at the Serowe Congress which Tafa and Modubule boycotted, stated that no member will be victimised in any manner whatsoever on account of having supported a lobby group against each other.
In a very strange way, the two men set up machinery and parallel structures to sabotage the official work of the Party and render it ungovernable.
It is a great sadness that those who were entrusted with the leadership of our movement and country (Modubule being an MP) found it normal to communicate their grievances through the media.
It is strange that people who once upon a time enforced the BNF rules could be so averse to the party’s Code of Discipline today.
BNF is not a lawless organisation and it will take action against any character who believes in publicly expressing their disputes which are actually party internal matters.
It is indeed wrong and a false accusation that the Central Committee seeks to reverse the outcome of primary elections.
It is wrong to say the Central Committee wants to destabilise Lobatse and Gaborone South Constituencies. To set the record straight, the Central Committee does not deal with the running of primary elections.
Under the BNF Constitution, there is a sub committee, the National Elections Appeals Committee (NEAC), which deals with the primary elections protests and appeals and, as such, have a final say on cases concerning whether to order a re-run or not.
It is the NEAC, which ordered a re-run in Gaborone South not the Central Committee or Cde Moupo.
It is also not abnormal to have a re-run in primary elections, it happened in 2003 between Cde Molefhabangwe, Cde Mothei and Cde Bantsi. To mention that Cde Victor Moupo (Secretary for NEAC) is the President’s brother proves how petty Tafa is, why didn’t he say so in 2003 when the same Cde Victor Moupo was in the NEAC?
If the Central Committee was so unscrupulous as Tafa wants the nation to believe, wouldn’t they have not reversed the outcome of primary elections in Gaborone West North and Gaborone West South constituencies where its leader Cde Moupo and its Organising Secretary Cde Moses Bantsi respectively lost?
It is not true that the Constitution states that there was supposed to be a congress this year instead of the annual conference. Lies have a short lifespan and truth lasts forever. Article 11.8 of the BNF Constitution states that the congress shall be convened by the Central Committee and held once in every three (3) years, this means that the next BNF Congress is scheduled for 2010 since the party had an extra-ordinary congress last year (2007), however an extra-ordinary congress can be convened by the Central Committee on its own initiative or at the request of at least two-thirds of national constituencies (Clause 11.9) or Clause 19.3.1 and 19.3.3 under the powers of the BNF President. It is also important to note that Clause 11.9.2 of the BNF Constitution stipulates that the agenda of the extra-ordinary national congress shall be proposed by the initiators of such a congress.
Party congresses are held every 3 years and, as such, between congresses, the Central Committee and within it the Executive Committee are empowered to provide political leadership on a daily basis and, as such, the entire party membership is subordinate to the party Central Committee. To assist Tafa and Modubule, it is imperative to note that the BNF held a National Congress in 1997 unfortunately the party split in Palapye 1998 thus the late leader Dr Kenneth Koma convened an extra ordinary congress in 1998 to vote for the new leadership which led the party for 3 years till 2001.
Obviously, Tafa and Modubule went around selling the idea of another congress with a hope that they may be returned to the party leadership.
It is inaccurate and very incorrect for Tafa to say that 6 party structures have called for the democratically elected President (Cde Moupo) to step down. It seems as if Tafa does not know what a party structure is. In terms of the BNF Constitution Clause 10, structures in the BNF are categorised as follows: the cell, ward, constituency, regional, Central Committee, the National Conference and the National Congress.
Instead of at least acknowledging BNF’s consistent adherence to inner party democracy by permitting its leader to be challenged, which subsequently led to him losing the primary elections, they contrived another outrageous story that Cde Moupo has lost primary elections and as such he must resign as the BNF President. What a load of nonsense!
Cde Moupo losing the primary elections cannot warrant him to step down. Primary elections are meant to select a candidate for general elections and not to elect the party leadership and if voting against Cde Moupo, the Gaborone West North constituency was trying to pass a motion of no confidence on Cde Moupo as the party leader, their sentiments can never be taken to reflect the mood of the BNF’s general membership.
Cde Moupo does not owe his BNF Presidency to a constituency but to the entire party membership. Those who call for Cde Moupo to step down are motivated by malice, ignorance and arrogance.
The BNF leadership is not afraid to debate issues.
Contrary to Tafa’s assertions, BNF is not a debating club and it will not debate the suitability of its President forever.
A political organisation cannot debate one issue endlessly.
It has to come to a conclusion, act and move forward.
Cde Moupo was overwhelmingly re-elected and the decision is binding on all party members, including dissidents or those who did not support him during the discussions.
According to BNF traditions, once a majority and therefore a democratic decision has been reached those like Modubule and Tafa, who persistently argue and criticise that decision, are in breach of discipline. Article 2.1 of the BNF Constitution stipulates that individual members may organise themselves into tendencies to adopt their point of view, provided however that such platforms or tendencies shall use normal democratic methods to lobby for their ideas and shall operate in an open and transparent manner.
This clause does not give Tafa and Modubule the mandate to publicly castigate the party and its leadership, address factional press conferences and issue press statements on factional grounds vilifying the party and its leadership.
In 2001 after the Kanye congress some senior party members who behaved like this were dealt with. Why then should it be any different this time?
It is a blatant lie that Cde Lemogang Ntime and Cde Murray Dipate are not fit to be members of the National Disciplinary Committee as they have not reached the 3 years probationary period. There is absolutely nothing like that in the BNF Constitution, Cde Dipate and Ntime rejoined the party form BCP in 2005 and NDF in 2006, respectively, and as members of the BNF they are entitled to be in a sub committee of the Central Committee. The 3 years membership is only required when one stands for the Central Committee elections not a sub committee as stated in Clause 12.8.1. of the BNF Constitution.
*Arafat Khan is the BNF Youth League spokesperson. He writes in his personal capacity
